Injury
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Comparative Study
Identifying prehospital trauma patients from ambulance patient care records; comparing two methods using linked data in New South Wales, Australia.
Linked datasets for trauma system monitoring should ideally follow patients from the prehospital scene to hospital admission and post-discharge. Having a well-defined cohort when using administrative datasets is essential because they must capture the representative population. Unlike hospital electronic health records (EHR), ambulance patient-care records lack access to sources beyond immediate clinical notes. Relying on a limited set of variables to define a study population might result in missed patient inclusion. We aimed to compare two methods of identifying prehospital trauma patients: one using only those documented under a trauma protocol and another incorporating additional data elements from ambulance patient care records. ⋯ The extended-T-population definition identified 50 % more admitted patients with an ICD-10-AM code consistent with an injury, including patients with severe trauma. Developing an EHR phenotype incorporating multiple data fields of ambulance-transported trauma patients for use with linked data may avoid missing these patients.
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Surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) improves outcomes in chest wall trauma. Geriatric patients are particularly vulnerable to poor outcomes; yet, this population is often excluded from SSRF studies. Further delineating patient outcomes by age is necessary to optimize care for the aging trauma population. ⋯ Geriatric and octogenarian patients with rib fractures underwent SSRF at similar rates and achieved equivalent outcomes to their younger counterparts. SSRF did not differentially affect mortality outcomes based on age group in propensity matched analysis. SSRF is safe for geriatric patients including octogenarians.
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Anterior shoulder dislocation (ASD) is a frequently observed musculoskeletal injury that is often encountered in the context of sports activities or as a result of trauma. Several magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters have been previously investigated for the purpose of characterizing the anatomical features, which could potentially be responsible for the episodes of instability. These measurements have the potential to identify patients who are susceptible to dislocation. Consequently, ensuring the reliability and consistency of these measurements is crucial in the diagnosis and the management of athletic or traumatic shoulder injuries. ⋯ Level IV.
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Intensive care unit risk stratification models have been utilized in elective joint arthroplasty; however, hip fracture patients are fundamentally different in their clinical course. Having a critical care risk calculator utilizing pre-operative risk factors can improve resourcing for hip fracture patients in the peri‑operative period. ⋯ III (retrospective study).
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to assess the small-scale 3D printing feasibility and cost estimation of a device for controlled dynamization. ⋯ 3D printing of the controlled dynamization device is feasible and its cost seems affordable to most healthcare services, which could optimize the consolidation of diaphyseal fractures and reduce treatment time for patients.